Do you support banning straws?

[100% pro-life no matter what]

This is the political issue that I never could have imagined would be seriously debated, but the left gets crazier by the day.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

This is the political issue that I never could have imagined would be seriously debated, but the left gets crazier by the day.

Who do you think are the crazy ones in this scenario?

[Dr. MB]

Eh. Just ban serving them unless a customer asks. It's just a minor annoyance I experience every time I go to a restaurant when I never want a straw.

[Alabama_Indy10]

Obviously no.

[136or142]

This is the political issue that I never could have imagined would be seriously debated, but the left gets crazier by the day.

But, telling women what they can and can't do with their bodies isn't crazy.  

[Green Line]

Yeah.  Bad for the environment, gotta go.

[Pyro]

Banning plastic straws to help the environment is akin to eating a single celery stick to lose weight.

[ON Progressive]

This is the political issue that I never could have imagined would be seriously debated, but the left gets crazier by the day.

This is incredibly ironic coming from someone named ExtremeConservative.

To answer the original question though, no. I think plastic straws should only be served if the customer asks for it though.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Obviously no.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

No. As I've learned secondhand through my mom's volunteer work with a community of disabled children, straws are needed in some circumstances. Also,

Banning plastic straws to help the environment is akin to eating a single celery stick to lose weight.

[nicholas.slaydon]

Banning plastic straws to help the environment is akin to eating a single celery stick to lose weight.

[IceAgeComing]

No one is proposing banning all straws.  What is being proposed is the very simple idea of replacing all plastic straws with paper straws which would be a massive benefit to our environment since plastic straws do not biodegrade and are harmful to animals - especially marine life - while paper straws do decompose so they do not present any long-term harm to our environment.  Its an incredibly small minor change in the lives of people which will have a dramatic impact on our environment.  Its also a change that's not going to cost businesses any money long-term: my Cricket Club has a bar and is currently mid-transition (we don't use many straws so our order lasts for years generally, so we've ordered paper ones which we'll switch to as our remaining plastic ones run out - may as well finish them since there's no safe way for us to dispose of them anyway) and the paper ones are actually cheaper for us to buy than the plastic ones, which means that from an overall perspective encouraging people to switch is not only likely to be massively beneficial for our environment but also not going to cost our businesses anything since it'll likely be a case of just switching the type of straws that you order when you make your next order from whoever supplies your stock.

So I'm not voting in the poll since its an inherently misleading question - I don't support banning straws as a general thing but I do support banning the production of new plastic straws to encourage businesses to use paper straws while allowing those that have been bought in bulk to be used since at that point there's not really a "safe" way of disposing of them that doesn't involve them just sitting the warehouses that they're currently in.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

Banning plastic straws? Yes. Replacing them with biodegradable straws? Even more yes.

[Lechasseur]

Banning plastic straws? Yes. Replacing them with biodegradable straws? Even more yes.

[thumb21]

Banning plastic straws? Yes. Replacing them with biodegradable straws? Even more yes.

[Mr. Illini]

Maybe, but I wish more people would apply the same sentiment to everything they use that is plastic and thrown away (which is a lot of stuff) instead of this one, small, thing that they use occasionally.

For example, Starbucks has a great program where you get a discount if you bring your own cup into the store to hold your drink, but no one does it.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

More important is banning Styrofoam imo.

[dead0man]

Its an incredibly small minor change in the lives of people which will have a dramatic impact on our environment.

no it won't

The vast majority of straws end up in landfills or recycling centers.  Plastic straws make up a tiny fraction of garbage.

[fhtagn]

Many folks with disabilities still need plastic straws, so I cannot support banning them. However I think it's reasonable to not serve them unless someone asks for one.

[Anti-Bothsidesism]

Just keep used straws away from the sea.
Also

Banning plastic straws? Yes. Replacing them with biodegradable straws? Even more yes.

[dead0man]

I like the issue because it really separates people with a brain from people who just want to do "something".  People that want to do "something" suck ass, especially the ones that don't even act like they care what other people have to say on it.

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the question might as well be "are you a bleeding heart who never thinks things through?".

[IceSpear]

Well unless you’re going through drive throughs or drinking smoothies/shakes, you don’t need a damn straw

I try to use a straw as much as possible for cosmetic reasons. Tea/coffee/soda does a number on your teeth.

[Very Legal & Very Cool]

No one is proposing banning all straws.  What is being proposed is the very simple idea of replacing all plastic straws with paper straws which would be a massive benefit to our environment since plastic straws do not biodegrade and are harmful to animals - especially marine life - while paper straws do decompose so they do not present any long-term harm to our environment.  Its an incredibly small minor change in the lives of people which will have a dramatic impact on our environment.  Its also a change that's not going to cost businesses any money long-term: my Cricket Club has a bar and is currently mid-transition (we don't use many straws so our order lasts for years generally, so we've ordered paper ones which we'll switch to as our remaining plastic ones run out - may as well finish them since there's no safe way for us to dispose of them anyway) and the paper ones are actually cheaper for us to buy than the plastic ones, which means that from an overall perspective encouraging people to switch is not only likely to be massively beneficial for our environment but also not going to cost our businesses anything since it'll likely be a case of just switching the type of straws that you order when you make your next order from whoever supplies your stock.

So I'm not voting in the poll since its an inherently misleading question - I don't support banning straws as a general thing but I do support banning the production of new plastic straws to encourage businesses to use paper straws while allowing those that have been bought in bulk to be used since at that point there's not really a "safe" way of disposing of them that doesn't involve them just sitting the warehouses that they're currently in.

Ok, but I haven't seen paper straws anywhere yet. The Starbucks lids they released have to be using more plastic than the old lid and straw combined. Policies need to work in practice, not merely in theory.

[Goldwater]

Well unless you’re going through drive throughs or drinking smoothies/shakes, you don’t need a damn straw

I try to use a straw as much as possible for cosmetic reasons. Tea/coffee/soda does a number on your teeth.

Also some people, like me, have  very sensitive teeth and hate anything cold going through them.